Читать книгу Five Go Off in a Caravan - Enid blyton - Страница 5

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At last the great day came when the two caravans were due to arrive. The children stood at the end of the drive for hours, watching for them.

Mother had managed to borrow them from an old friend of hers. The children had promised faithfully to look after them well, and not to damage anything. Now they stood at the end of the drive, watching eagerly for the caravans to arrive.

‘They are being drawn by cars today,’ said Julian. ‘But they are fitted up to be horse-drawn, too. I wonder what they are like—and what colour they are?’

‘Will they be like gypsy caravans, on high wheels, do you think?’ asked Anne. Julian shook his head.

‘No, they’re modern, Mother says. Streamlined and all that. Not too big either, because a horse can’t draw too heavy a van.’

‘They’re coming, they’re coming! I can see them!’ suddenly yelled George, making them all jump. ‘Look, isn’t that them, far down the road?’

They all looked hard into the distance. No one had such good eyes as George, and all they could see was a blotch, a moving speck far away on the road. But George’s eyes saw two caravans, one behind the other.

‘George is right,’ said Julian, straining his eyes. ‘It’s our caravans. They’re each drawn by a small car.’

‘One’s red and the other’s green,’ said Anne. ‘Bags I the red one. Oh, hurry up, caravans!’

At last they were near enough to see properly. The children ran to meet them. They certainly were very nice ones, quite modern and ‘streamlined’, as Julian had said, well built and comfortable.

‘They almost reach the ground!’ said Anne. ‘And look at the wheels, set so neatly into the side of the vans. I do like the red one, bags I the red one.’

Each van had a little chimney, long, narrow windows down the two sides, and tiny ones in front by the driver’s seat. There was a broad door at the back and two steps down. Pretty curtains fluttered at the open windows.

‘Red curtains for the green caravan, and green ones for the red caravan!’ said Anne. ‘Oh, I want to go inside!’

But she couldn’t because the doors were locked. So she had to be content to run with the others up the drive after the two caravans, shouting loudly:

‘Mummy! They’re here, the caravans are here.’

Her mother came running down the steps to see. Soon the doors were unlocked and the children went inside the caravans. Delighted shouts came from both vans.

‘Bunks along one side—is that where we sleep? How gorgeous!’

‘Look at this little sink—we can really wash up. And golly, water comes out of these taps!’

‘There’s a proper stove to cook on—but I vote we cook out of doors on a camp fire. I say, look at the bright frying-pans—and all the cups and saucers hanging up!’

‘It’s like a proper little house inside. Doesn’t it seem nice and big? Mother, isn’t it beautifully planned? Don’t you wish you were coming with us?’

‘Hey, you girls! Do you see where the water comes from? Out of that tank on the roof. It must collect rainwater. And look at this gadget for heating water. Isn’t it all super?’

The children spent hours examining their caravans and finding out all the secrets. They certainly were very well fitted, spotlessly clean, and very roomy. George felt as if she couldn’t wait to start out. She really must get Dobby and set out at once!

‘No, you must wait, silly,’ said Julian. ‘You know we’ve to get the other horse. He’s not coming till tomorrow.’

The other horse was a sturdy little black fellow called Trotter. He belonged to the milkman, who often lent him out. He was a sensible little horse, and the children knew him very well and liked him. They all learnt riding at school, and knew how to groom and look after a horse, so there would be no difficulty over their managing Dobby and Trotter.

Mother was thrilled over the caravans, too, and looked very longingly at them. ‘If I wasn’t going with Daddy I should be most tempted to come with you,’ she said. ‘Don’t look so startled, Anne dear—I’m not really coming!’

‘We’re jolly lucky to get such decent caravans,’ said Julian. ‘We’d better pack our things today, hadn’t we, Mother—and start off tomorrow, now we’ve got the caravans.’

‘You won’t need to pack,’ said his mother. ‘All you have to do is to pop your things straight into the cupboards and drawers—you will only want clothes and books and a few games to play in case it’s rainy.’

‘We don’t need any clothes except our night things, do we?’ said George, who would have lived in a jersey and jeans all day and every day if she had been allowed to.

‘You must take plenty of jerseys, another pair of jeans each, in case you get wet, your rain-coats, bathing-things, towels, a change of shoes, night things, and some cool shirts or blouses,’ said Mother. Everyone groaned.

‘What a frightful lot of things!’ said Dick. ‘There’ll never be room for all those.’

‘Oh yes there will,’ said Mother. ‘You will be sorry if you take too few clothes, get soaked through, have nothing to change into, and catch fearful colds that will stop you from enjoying a lovely holiday like this.’

‘Come on, let’s get the things,’ said Dick. ‘Once Mother starts off about catching cold there’s no knowing what else she’ll make us take—is there, Mother?’

‘You’re a cheeky boy,’ said his mother, smiling. ‘Yes, go and collect your things. I’ll help you to put them into the cupboards and drawers. Isn’t it marvellous how everything folds so neatly into the walls of the caravans—there seems to be room for everything, and you don’t notice the cupboards.’

‘I shall keep everything very clean,’ said Anne. ‘You know how I like playing at keeping house, don’t you, Mother—well, it will be real this time. I shall have two caravans to keep clean, all by myself.’

‘All by yourself!’ said her mother. ‘Well, surely the boys will help you—and certainly George must.’

‘Pooh, the boys!’ said Anne. ‘They won’t know how to wash and dry a cup properly—and George never bothers about things like that. If I don’t make the bunks and wash the crockery, they would never be made or washed, I know that!’

‘Well, it’s a good thing that one of you is sensible!’ said her mother. ‘You’ll find that everyone will share in the work, Anne. Now off you go and get your things. Bring all the rain-coats, to start with.’

It was fun taking things down to the caravans and packing them all in. There were shelves for a few books and games, so Julian brought down snap cards, ludo, lexicon, happy families and dominoes, as well as four or five books for each of them. He also brought down some maps of the district, because he meant to plan out where they were to go, and the best roads to follow.

Daddy had given him a useful little book in which were the names of farms that would give permission to caravanners to camp in fields for the night. ‘You must always choose a field where there is a stream, if possible,’ said his father, ‘because Dobby and Trotter will want water.’

‘Remember to boil every drop of water you drink,’ said the children’s mother. ‘That’s very important. Get as much milk from the farms as they will let you have. And remember that there is plenty of ginger-beer in the locker under the second caravan.’

‘It’s all so thrilling,’ said Anne, peering down to look at the locker into which Julian had put the bottles of ginger-beer. ‘I can’t believe we’re really going tomorrow.’

But it was true. Dobby and Trotter were to be taken to the caravans the next day and harnessed. How exciting for them, too, Anne thought.

Timmy couldn’t quite understand all the excitement, but he shared in it, of course, and kept his tail on the wag all day long. He examined the caravans thoroughly from end to end, found a rug he liked the smell of, and lay down on it. ‘This is my corner,’ he seemed to say. ‘If you go off in these peculiar houses on wheels, this is my own little corner.’

‘We’ll have the red caravan, George,’ said Anne. ‘The boys can have the green one. They don’t care what colour they have—but I love red. I say, won’t it be sport to sleep in those bunks? They look jolly comfortable.’

At last tomorrow came—and the milkman brought the sturdy little black horse, Trotter, up the drive. Julian fetched Dobby from the field. The horses nuzzled one another and Dobby said ‘Hrrrumph’ in a very civil horsey voice.

‘They’re going to like each other,’ said Anne. ‘Look at them nuzzling. Trotter, you’re going to draw my caravan.’

The two horses stood patiently while they were harnessed. Dobby jerked his head once or twice as if he was impatient to be off and stamped a little.

‘Oh, Dobby, I feel like that, too!’ said Anne. ‘Don’t you, Dick, don’t you, Julian?’

‘I do rather,’ said Dick with a grin. ‘Get up there, Dobby—that’s right. Who’s going to drive, Julian—take it in turns, shall we?’

‘I’m going to drive our caravan,’ said George. ‘Anne wouldn’t be any good at it, though I’ll let her have a turn at it sometimes. Driving is a man’s job.’

‘Well, you’re only a girl!’ said Anne indignantly. ‘You’re not a man, nor even a boy!’

George put on one of her scowls. She always wanted to be a boy, and even thought of herself as one. She didn’t like to be reminded that she was only a girl. But not even George could scowl for long that exciting morning! She soon began to caper round and about again, laughing and calling out with the others:

‘We’re ready! Surely we’re ready!’

‘Yes. Do let’s go! Julian! He’s gone indoors, the idiot, just when we want to start.’

‘He’s gone to get the cakes that Cook has baked this morning for us. We’ve heaps of food in the larder. I feel hungry already.’

‘Here’s Julian. Do come on, Julian. We’ll drive off without you. Good-bye, Mother! We’ll send you a card every single day, we faithfully promise.’

Julian got up on the front of the green caravan. He clicked to Dobby. ‘Get on, Dobby! We’re off! Good-bye, Mother!’

Dick sat beside him, grinning with pure happiness. The caravans moved off down the drive. George pulled at Trotter’s reins and the little horse followed the caravan in front. Anne, sitting beside George, waved wildly.

‘Good-bye, Mother! We’re off at last on another adventure. Hurrah! Three cheers! Hurrah!’